Glasshouse Journal

Reads: 11 by Jasmine Deporta

We last spoke to Italian photographer Jasmine Deporta a couple of years ago around the release of her image series Sofa Safari. Her pictures of vintage-clad girls matching their outfits to the furniture in an old-fashioned sofa warehouse captured our aesthetic eye and we still love the photo series to this day. Which is why we were thrilled to hear that Jasmine was about to release her first book, 11. The title is an ode to her birthday, 11/11 - which already gives an indication of the personal nature of the book. Featuring previously unreleased work, Jasmine has spent the last 4 years working closely with French graphic design studio 24/24 and publishers Present Books to create something that’s obviously close to her heart.

“11 is the documentation of a personal reflection on my artistic practice and on myself” Jasmine told us, “The work on the book was during a phase of my life which felt very intense and came with a lot of changes and different dynamics. Throughout the whole period I tried to evolve and at the same time be consistent in my artistic work and 11 is the outcome of this very personal research. The process was a reflection on desires, fears, emotions and most of all identity.”

Jasmine’s signature style is instantly recognisable but hard to pin down. Bridged somewhere between fashion, art and documentary, the photographer usually shoots women, always on film and often captured in a typically ‘mundane’ settings that Jasmine cleverly perks up with her 70s style soft focus. Think girls hiding in gardens, sat in drab hotel bedrooms or getting up to no good in sofa shops. 11 is no different, bringing together her own personal collection of unpublished photos that thoughtfully document the stage of life she was in when making the book.

“As a photographer you have so many pictures that would never be published for different reasons - sometimes they don’t fit into a series but are still good pictures and sometimes you have to find the right moment” she explains, “What’s more important is that they are shown for the first time as a body of work. The challenge was to bring together pictures from different series and make them a unit.”

Jasmine got hold of her first analogue camera when she was 9 and started to experiment with taking pictures. Her most recognised series involves girls hiding behind flowers in a hazy orchid-filled greenhouse and much of her work makes reference to nature in some way. The soon-to-be-released 11 covers similar themes, with models poking out from underneath trees and leaves making interesting shadows on women’s bodies. Bound together in a red linen covering, the book has been designed by 24/24 - a French graphic studio who have displayed Jasmine’s work in a simple and impactful way. The studio contacted her and were interested in working together on a project and Jasmine already had the initial idea of a book in her head.

“I was bored seeing my pictures mostly virtually on screen” says Jasmine, “After my diploma, the desire to have my work in a physical format grew even more - so we decided to work on a book together.” Jasmine has also launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fundraise for the book, which is due to be released in a couple of weeks. There are some photographers who’s work we’ll never tire from poring over and Jasmine is certainly one of them - we can’t wait to see it in physical form.